Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokić have experienced some playoff battles.

Minnesota Timberwolves v Denver Nuggets | Dustin Bradford/GettyImages

Nikola Jokić is one of the most unstoppable players on offense in league history. He’s won three MVPs over the last five seasons, and in the two years he didn’t, he was the runner-up. Rudy Gobert has won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, tied for the most all-time. The Timberwolves have had some great battles against the Nuggets recently in the postseason, and the Jokić/Gobert center matchup has been fun to watch throughout their careers.

Rudy Gobert shares his thoughts on The Joker

Recently, Gobert was a guest on The Young Man and The Three podcast. The 12-year veteran sat down with co-host Tommy Alter to discuss a variety of topics, including Gobert’s battles with Jokić. Alter asked Gobert what his perspective and strategy are going into those matchups.

“Just trying to make him work as hard as I can, Gobert said. Trying to bother him enough to give my team a chance to win the game. I think that’s I always embrace those challenges. When I wake up, and I get to play Jokić, I’m always grateful that I get to try to stop one of the best players in the world and doing what I love to do and it’s been fun.”

While Minnesota and Denver didn’t meet in last year’s postseason, they met in the previous two. The Nuggets beat the Wolves in the opening round in 5 games in 2023, but Minnesota enacted revenge by defeating Denver in 7 games in the conference semifinals in 2024.

Of course, Gobert didn’t completely shut down Jokić in those playoff meetings. That’s not possible. The Stifle Tower surely made his life more difficult, though. In the two recent Minnesota/Denver postseason series, Jokić combined to shoot 126-250 from the field. That’s just barely over 50%, a stark difference from the 59.4% that Jokić has shot over the last three regular seasons.

The two will meet up on Christmas Day

Now 33 years old, Gobert may never win Defensive Player of the Year again. That doesn’t mean that the 7-foot-1 center can’t remain one of the best rim protectors in the league. The Timberwolves have finished in the top 10 of defensive rating in each of Gobert’s three seasons with them.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves remain arguably each other’s biggest rival, and Denver has finished just one game better in the regular season than Minnesota each of the last two years. The NBA agrees on the rivalry as the two squads will meet up during the league’s Christmas Day schedule.